Peanut Butter Coconut Power Balls

A delicious snack to fuel you through your week! These power balls pack a punch of sweet & salty flavor, with a good dose of healthy fats and protein to keep you satisfied. Best of all, they come together in 15 minutes. Vegan & Gluten Free. <jump to recipe>

Snacks are the unsung heroes of our work week. They can tide you over in between breakfast and lunch, get you through that mid-afternoon work slump, or give you that much needed energy boost before a workout. And when the week is busy and you’re on the go, a portable snack can make you really feel like the super-human that you are. For the past few months we’ve had these Peanut Butter Coconut Power Balls on repeat. They’re ridiculously satisfying, just sweet enough, and have a salty contrast that rounds them out into a perfect bite. And while we rarely eat the same food week after week, we do have to admit that these aren’t going anywhere.

These power balls were inspired by Erin Ireland, who sells baked goods in Vancouver cafes, under her “To Die For” line. When we first tried these, we fell in love with how they could do miracles for curbing our HANGER and giving us the energy to keep powering through our day. Good things do come in small packages. We loved them so much that we started to make our own version at home. They’re packed with a good-for-you ingredients - most of which you probably already have on hand - and a healthy dose of fat and protein to satisfy you until meal time. All you need is a food processor and 15 minutes. Ready? Let’s go!

These Peanut Butter Coconut Balls are devastatingly easy to make. There’s really just two steps to the recipe. Step one: dump everything in the food processor. Step two: roll the dough into balls. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe, but for the best texture, we like to hold off on adding the maple syrup and coconut oil until everything else is blended into a coarse sand. Then, add those two liquids and pulse until the dough comes together into a ball. For portioning, you can use a retractable ice cream scoop if you have one...otherwise just eyeball it, they don’t need to be perfect. Use your hands to press and shape the balls together firmly, and then give them a quick roll in some extra shredded coconut. Store in the fridge until firm. These balls are fine to stay out of the fridge - like when you’ve packed them in your bag to work - but we think they’re best when firm, so keep them refrigerated for as long as you can.

We haven’t tested this recipe (yet) with other nuts, but we have that on our list, so look out for some non-peanut varieties in the future. Aim to use dry-roasted and unsalted peanuts for this recipe. If you can only find salted peanuts, skip the salt called for in the recipe. Taste the dough at the end, and if needed, add extra salt at the end. For oats, we prefer quick oats, because they’ve been lightly cooked beforehand - and in theory, are a bit easier on digestion since this is a no-cook recipe. That said, if you prefer regular rolled oats, you can use those instead. And lastly, look for unsweetened shredded coconut. It’s usually offered right next to the sweetened coconut, so just make sure you read the label!

PEANUT BUTTER COCONUT POWER BALLS

MAKES 16 BALLS (vegan, gluten free)

Ingredients

1 cup quick oats

3/4 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened) + extra for rolling

1/2 cup smooth peanut butter (unsalted, no sugar added)

1/2 cup peanuts (dry-roasted, unsalted)

1/4 cup pitted Medjool dates, packed

3/4 teaspoon cinnamon

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons coconut oil

3 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions

Add quick oats, shredded coconut, peanut butter, peanuts, pitted dates, cinnamon and salt to a food processor. Pulse until the texture of coarse sand, with no large pieces of date visible.

Add coconut oil and maple syrup to food processor. Pulse until the dough comes together in a ball. Scoop out dough and use your hands to squeeze it together, shaping into approximately 16 balls. Roll each ball into extra shredded coconut, until covered. Place in airtight container and refrigerate until firm.